Nine-Run Ninth Propels FSU to Dramatic Win Over BC

KINGSTON, R.I. – A nine-run ninth inning highlighted by a John Nogowski grand slam gave top-ranked Florida State (21-5, 9-2) an 11-7 come-from-behind victory over Boston College (7-17, 1-10) in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader on Bill Beck Field on the campus of the University of Rhode Island.

“It was a game that obviously many people thought we were out of,” Florida State head coach Mike Martin said. “But the 26 guys that were in that dugout were determined to give them a finish. Things just happened to work out for us. We had some great at-bats by a number of guys in that inning. A couple of big hits by (Ladson) Montgomery and Nogowski and all of sudden final score, we are up four.”

Playing in their third conference doubleheader in as many weekends, the Seminoles completed their third straight doubleheader sweep but not before an eventful ninth inning in Rhode Island.

“Undoubtedly when you play a doubleheader you know how difficult it is to win two games,” said Martin. “So many things have to happen for you to win two games. For us to win two last week at Clemson and then turn around and win two today is quite an accomplishment.”

Trailing 7-2 going into the top of the ninth, Florida State scored nine runs on four hits, five walks and a hit-by-pitch sending 13 batters to the plate in an inning that saw Boston College use three different pitchers to get three outs.

“It was unbelievable,” said Nogowski. “This team is special. Once we got the first guy on in the ninth, their guys struggled to throw strikes. It just worked out. When you have a line-up like that, obviously missing DJ (Stewart) hurts, but we are sitting there just trying to pass it back to the next hitter. It was an awesome win.”

Nogowski opened the inning with a single to right center and capped off the scoring in the ninth with a grand slam taking a 1-0 pitch from John Nicklas (1-2) over the fence in right for his first home run of the season to break a 7-7 tie.

Casey Smit drove in the first run in the ninth drawing a bases loaded walk. After a BC pitching change, pinch hitter Gage West brought home Jose Brizuela on a sac-fly after a diving catch by Eagle second baseman Blake Butera in short center field. Ladson Montgomery followed with an RBI double down the line in right to bring home John Sansone. Josh Delph walked to load the bases and then Justin Gonzalez was hit by a pitch to cut the deficit to 7-6. Brett Knief drove in the tying run as he drew a bases loaded walk.

The Eagles went to the bullpen for the third time in the inning and brought on Nicklas. After almost hitting Nogowski on his first offering, the Eagle right hander threw a fastball on the outer part of the plate that the Seminole first baseman deposited over the right field fence for his first career grand slam.

“I was mad that I didn’t wear that first pitch,” added Nogowski. “Nine times out of 10 I wear that pitch but for some reason I saw it coming at my knee and barely moved. I knew the guy had to come to me down a ball. He threw a fastball away and I put a good swing on it. I knew for sure I got the job done on a (potential) sac-fly but it kept carrying. I was just pumped.”

“I did not,” added Martin on whether Nogowski’s fly ball had a chance to leave the yard. “I was yelling ‘go ball, go ball’ but what I meant was get out of the range of the right fielder. And the next thing I knew there were 20 guys running over me to get to the plate. I was really, really shocked that the ball went out especially under the conditions we were playing in.”

The Seminoles and Eagles played under blustery conditions in game two with intermittent rain fall, gusting winds and temperatures that were slowly dipping into the upper 30s.

Jim Voyles (1-0), who worked a scoreless eighth inning, picked up his first collegiate win as the freshman right hander allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one.

Gage Smith closed the door on the Eagles in the ninth as he faced the minimum. Chris Shaw led off the bottom of the inning with a single to left but was quickly retired as Joe Cronin grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Smith then got John Hennessy swinging on strikes to end the game.

Florida State starter Mike Compton did not factor into the decision in game two on Friday. The redshirt sophomore right hander allowed four runs, three earned, on eight hits in 5.2 innings of work. He walked just one while finishing with two strikeouts.

Nogowski led all Seminoles in the second game of the doubleheader with two hits and four RBI. Gonzalez picked up three RBI on a two-run double in the third and a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded in the ninth.

Boston College’s Andrew Chin was the story of the game before the Seminoles dramatic ninth inning rally. The redshirt sophomore tied a career-high with eight strikeouts in 7.1 innings as he allowed just two runs on three hits.

Chin stymied the Seminole bats all afternoon as he allowed just one hit through the first five innings and that was on Gonzalez’ two-run double in the third. He allowed a one out single to Knief in the sixth and then a one out single to left by Josh Delph in the eighth before coming out of the game after throwing 111 pitches.

Four different BC hitters registered two hits each in the loss, while Logan Hoggarth finished 2-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored.

The Eagles took advantage of some sloppy Florida State fielding to plate an unearned run off Compton in the second. BC then tied the game at 2-2 in the third on a sac-fly to right by Cronin.

Boston College went up 4-2 in the sixth on an RBI infield single by Hoggarth and a run scoring single by catcher Nick Sciortino.

The Eagles increased their lead to 7-2 plating three more runs in the seventh on an RBI single by Cronin and a two-run, two out single by Hoggarth.

The two teams are back at it for the third and final game of the series on Saturday, March 29 at 1:00 p.m. in Rhode Island. Fans can listen to the game on the Seminoles.com All-Access player and locally on 100.7 FM. Live stats will be available via gametracker.

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